Rehabilitation: Respite
by Double Calibur
Summary: This is a part of the Rehabilitation anthology. A moment is shown of a future that's yet to pass. A heart to heart plants the seed of something greater. How could Sonic refuse such a simple request? Sonic/OC Fluff


The battlefield grew quiet as rain and thunder slowed to a mere drizzle, instead of the all-encompassing storm it was a few moments ago. Burn marks littered the grass, smoldering from the battle that raged across the strip of land, slathered in water and mud. The swirling sky above stopped its cries in awe, gazing down at the duo standing only feet across from eachother.

Two figures lay in wait. One large and threatening, spasming from the sudden shock of defeat, splayed upon its back. The other stood in triumph, although taxed, his fur matted down upon his muscular body, giving shape to his otherwise fluffy visage. One hand took purchase upon a wooden totem sitting tilted in the earth next to him, leaning in a dramatically different direction then it first did, before it became victim to reckless combat, although no less rigid then before.

"It's over."

Those words worked their way from his lips, but not without effort. The fight he'd just gone through took its toll on him, and he'd yet to have a chance to relax in the last week. It'd become something of a running theme, he'd noticed. Being unable to relax. Neither could the dead. The skeletons of the ancestors had been dug up in the aftermath, relapsing years worth of dedication to the planet reclaiming its bounty. The dead rose to the surface like foam, as if to chide the duo. A mass grave mocking the results of a pointless struggle.

He would be perturbed had he not seen something like this already. He didn't know whether or not that was a good thing, and he really didn't want to know regardless.

The sun finally broke over the hills, illuminating the macabre graveyard around them. Just as soon as the sun had struck the ground, did the dead disappear, leaving the ground unmarred as it was moments before.

The shadows were edged away, encroaching on the massive bird before him. As the sunlight hit her wing, steam rose off the surface, melting away the madness stricken shell coiled tightly around her, until there was nothing more than a brown owl wrapped around herself, audibly shivering.

So too, had the man before, also began chipping off his exterior armor, until he was perhaps a third of the size he was, becoming a brighter royal blue color instead of the harsh navy it was, the sun working equally effectively on his form just as it did her, although he looked no less exhausted from the ordeal.

Sonic laughed.

"Sorry, Omi."

The brown owl, with nothing much more than a poncho thrown over her shoulders, could only sit up and groan, right before she laughed as well, holding a hand to her forehead, concrete grey eyes shut tightly. Most likely from the mounting headache that was beginning to form in her temples and her stiff neck.

"Hush, Sonic."

-

Sonic The Hedgehog sneezed not for the last time that day. Not only were his allergies kicking his butt, he'd also caught a minor cold from jumping around in the storm he was in just an hour ago. Becoming the equivalent to a representation of your god and having some control over the weather only spelled something weirdly supernatural. Omi the Owl apologized up and down for the inconvenience. This wasn't the first time she'd met Sonic, but it was the first time they fought, and not even intentionally.

Omi swore it wasn't on purpose, although she did have a degree of control over her Dark Gaia form, her emotions ran high when she transformed. This led her to attacking Sonic in his werehog form, assuming he was an intruder coming to harm her tribe. She was a mystic, after all. It was her job to know these things of the body and the mind.

Now here they both were, inside of a humble wooden hut upon a cliff overlooking the small valley her tribe was situated in. Sonic was indisposed, having been wracked with a terrible cold. The rain hadn't let up since their scuffle, and only seemed to get a bit worse. Chalk it up to involuntary weather powers. He had no choice but to hunker down for a bit and get his body back in shape long enough to get moving. Luckily for him, it was early morning, so he had plenty of time to rest before he had to move and potentially have another fight on their hands. Omi is the one who insisted he stay here for a bit.

Sonic didn't like being cooped up. Inwardly he kicked himself for that pun.

Currently, he sat atop a comfortable bed made from feathers and cotton, with a heavy, warm blanket supplanted around his shoulders. "I appreciate this, Omi." He said, rubbing his nose to clean it of any discharge. Omi had her back turned to him, but it didn't seem to matter to her. She merely waved a arm at him and resumed her business at the other side of the room.

"It's really no trouble." She started, turning around, holding two cups of wonderul smelling tea. The aroma wafted toward Sonic, even through his stuffed-up nose, it was a pleasent, hot beverage. His throat felt dry and his lips were cracked from dehydration. Once Omi had given him his own cup, he couldn't wait to chug it down, relishing the relief it brought his throat. Not only did it smell good, it tasted great too. At least his tastebuds worked at full effectiveness.

Omi merely sipped hers, taking a seat next to Sonic on the bed, sitting demurely as she quietly giggled at his energy. "Needed that, I see." A small smile stayed on her beak. Sonic let out a mighty sigh, his own smile creeping onto his muzzle as the liquid slid down his throat. "Oh yeah." Wiping his mouth, he turned to her, his expression turning soft. "What'd you make this tea with?"

She waved a hand again, sipping hers. "Nothing impressive. Home grown ingredients from our gardens. Distilled mandrake, basil leaves... Amongst other things. Mixed in boiling water." Sonic couldn't tell what any of it tasted like, but it was smooth and tasty. It reminded him of chicken flavored broth his mother used to make him when he was sick like this. A memory deep of simpler times, when he was just "that sonic boy".

Not a world-wide hero.

"You've grown somber." Sonic would have jumped, had he not been used to Omi cutting through the silence so abruptly. It was easy to forget her disability, and her ability to sense life. To Omi, she could make out an outline of Sonic with just his life energy. It'd turned very briefly blue before springing back to it's natural, confident and roaring golden yellow.

His aura changed so rapidly sometimes. It wasn't something she was used to. Most people's energy changed so gradually, even if their emotions were suddenly shifting. The owl girl didn't know what to make of it. Everything about Sonic was bizarre. She supposed she liked that about him. He was so genuine in his feelings, he didn't have time to work himself up or pretend. He just was.

"Heh, nah nah, I'm fine. Just thinking about home." Sonic sipped what little was left of his tea, looking ahead at the wall of the hut, to the rain hammering down outside. Omi hadn't taken her gaze off the hedgehog since she'd noted his energy change. It wavered a little, but it remained golden.

"It's not a painful memory, is it?" She chanced, sipping her tea as well. Sonic took a bit longer to answer her, letting the silence hang in the air a few seconds too long. "No." He started, shifting back a bit so he wasn't on the edge of the bed. "No I... I guess I miss a few things."

"Like what?" The question came quiet and soft. The rain pattered on the roof of the hut as Sonic thought about his answer. Normally, his responses were snappy and quick, just like him. This was something he either didn't care to think about, or had, quite a lot. Omi was afraid she'd broached an uneasy subject for him until Sonic let out an uneasy noise of discontent.

"It's nothing bad." He was choosing his words carefully. The way his diction became slightly tilted didn't go unnoticed. "But.. I miss when things were simple. Easier to figure out. Now I've got all of these responsibilties, and... It's overwhelming." Omi could only tell Sonic was looking at her with the way his voice drifted towards her and the subtle shift of his outline.

"I'm only 16, Omi. I didn't ask for this." There it was. His color turned from gold, to some deep, murky purple. "It's not all bad, but I miss when my adventures consisted of exploring unknown lands or seeing if I could beat my own records running back and forth."

Sonic grunted, scratching the back of his neck as he looked down at his empty cup. "I don't mind helping people out, but I wish it wasn't all that was expected of me anymore."

Omi nodded slowly, finishing her own cup just behind Sonic, before putting it on the dresser sitting just at the foot of the bed. She folded both hands in her lap, taking her own deep sigh to steady her nerves. It was all too familiar and she didn't like it.

"I couldn't begin to imagine the weight of the world on your shoulders." Her sympathy wasn't unappreciated. Sonic chuckled a bit, flushing away most of the nerves that had been building up in his stomach.  
"It's not so bad," He replied, leaning back and looking up at the cieling of the hut, body relaxed. "I wouldn't have half the excuse I do now to travel and see the world. Rolling with the punches turned out better than I could have hoped."

"It really is remarkable." Said the owl, closing her eyes. It did nothing to hide her true sight. Sonic cocked his head to the side, making an almost non-commital grunt. A question. Omi continued.

"It took me some time to understand the weight of responsibilty... Being a Herald is a duty few would ask of themselves. And yet it seems to come so naturally to you."

Sonic laughed. Not a chuckle, or a giggle, or any kind of stifled sense of laughter, but a full on laugh, bellowing out from his chest.

Omi had been startled, to say the least.

"Sonic?" Came her tentative prod. Sonic's laughing had stopped as quickly as it had came, winding down.  
"I think it's funny." He finally said, once he'd stopped barking like a maniac.  
"What is?" She countered, looking toward the hedgehog, curiosity peaked.

"This whole destiny thing." He gestured to nothing, a movement that would have been lost to the blind, had she not gotten a vague sense of his movement. "I don't know much about fate. I don't know what it looks like or how it works, but I know one thing. Things just happen, don't they?"

Omi had been silent. Sonic chose that as confirmation to continue.

"I never thought much about fate or any of that. Maybe it's too simple, but how else could you describe it? The world keeps turning, whether you choose to turn with it or not."

Omi had turned her head, not out of a conflicting sense of idealism, but to hide the smile she couldn't wipe off her face. "That's awfully nihilistic, Sonic."

"Is it?" His tone wasn't challenging. It was curious. "I think that means I don't care right? Nih-hull-ism? That couldn't be more wrong." A sigh followed. "I do care, but if I worried about stuff like that, I'd just be an anxious wreck. Caring about what people think about me is a slippery slope."

Omi chose that moment to turn back to Sonic. Her smile hadn't faltered, but her eyes spoke of a sadness she hadn't gotten a chance to let out. Sonic went quiet when he saw those concrete grey eyes again.

"I suppose I don't have to tell you of the spiritual and cultural significance of being a herald with my people and all of that entails."  
Sonic hesitated to answer.  
"It's alright." She started, as if sensing his apprihension. "I can see what you're thinking."

"I thought you weren't psychic?"

For the first time that day, Omi had giggled, bringing a hand to her mouth to stifle it. Sonic smiled in turn. Looking down at her lap, Omi had continued, curling her digits around eachother into a fold.  
"I suppose I'm just taken aback about your laidback attitude. That's not a bad thing, but I would have figured you for a..."

"A nervous wreck?" Sonic interjected.

"For lack of a better term, yes."

Sonic nodded. It was only natural, with all of the things he'd been taught and given and told to do. From mystical forces or otherwise.  
"I guess you've got an image to uphold with your people, Omi."

It was the owl girls turn to nod. "They treat me as a sacred being. Ever since I was a child. I haven't really had a chance to live a normal life in the valley because I'm the herald for the grey Emerald. It's a sacred, sworn duty, and the selection of who the heralds are, are as random as the Emeralds strength is powerful, but this knowledge is commonplace here, so when my eyes matched the hue of the grey emerald exactly, they knew I was to be put on a pedestal."

Omi didn't sound bitter or even regretful of her lot in life, but it sounded as if she was missing something. Her body had stiffined, and her shoulders hunched under her poncho, taking in a deep breath as she recounted her early life.

Sonic listened. It was the least he could do.

"I'm grateful for them. I couldn't imagine my life any other way. But..."

She paused. Her beak creased just a bit as the corners of her cheeks upturned.  
"...I never had the chance to open up or really... be with anyone." Her hands worried themselves over eachother, wringing them out slowly. "Because of my 'status' as herald, they view me as a sacred being. A being to remain pure."

Sonic nodded slowly. Teenage hormones were a nightmare. He was just thankful his own libido remained fairly dormant.

"I'm a little envious, actually." Mirth tinted the owl's statement. "You get to be so free."

The sky-blue hedgehog waved a hand. "It's not all that and a bag of chips. It's the kind of life built for me, and... well, no one else. All of my friends have lives. They're all gonna settle down some day."

"But not you?"

"I don't think so. Not totally. Even if I wanted to, the whole world knows who I am. Well, almost all of it."

Omi drank in his own admission of lonliness, if perhaps it was at the other end of the spectrum. Even if he felt free, it was all he could do without feeling caged. He still loved his friends and family, but he needed his space. It made sense, especially because no one else in the world was like him. He was everything an anomaly could be described as.

"If I may be so bold, Sonic?"

Sonic had taken to looking outside the window in the time Omi had retreated inside her head for a moment. The hedgehog looked over to the owl curiously. "What's up?"

"Would you like to... Uh, well, be close, for a little while?"

Sonic had to process those words far longer than he would have liked. If you looked at him closely, you could see the single gear in his head turning, shaking off the cobwebs. Once the dust was gone from his mind, there was an intricate set of carvings on the gear itself.

Sonic blinked a few times, feeling a heat rise to his peach cheeks. He was relatively sure Omi couldn't see _details, _so he was free from embarassment for now, and fought to keep his voice steady.

"What uh, what do you mean?" He asked, sounding as if his chest was suddenly lodged with a balloon. Omi found it rather adorable. She turned her head away from Sonic, placing a hand on her own cheek to quell her own rising temparature.

"I-I mean, if you wouldn't mind, we could... Lay together? N-nothing, um, sordid or anything like that. I just..."

"...Want to feel someone else's touch?"

Sonic had finished her crumbling thoughts, striking through the haze with clarity. Slowly, she looked back to Sonic, unintentionally locking eyes with his.

"Exactly." She finished, letting out that one word in a pent-up breath the owl didn't know she was holding. Carefully, slowly, her hand had reached out to lay itself on top of his own, feeling the bare peach fuzz just barely covereing his arm. Ever since their fight, Sonic hadn't gotten the chance to get a new set of gloves. The intimate touch had sent a shiver up the hedgehog's spine. He wasn't a stranger to intimacy now, not like he was a year ago, but the sensation still felt surreal to him, especially since he rarely, if ever, took them off.

Omi felt that warm hand under her wing, and she fought to stay in control of her own desires. Desires that demanded her she snuggle the hand for warmth. Instead, she looked at Sonic with what she hoped was a pleading expression. Needy and forthright, had she been. Sonic seemed so accomadating.

The hedgehog leaned closer, getting a much better look at all of the finer details on the owl girls head. Her fine, brown feathers laying in a smooth, backswept pattern. Probably from the few times she'd ever gotten to fly. The wind around the valley were strong but not unpleasent.

"I'm going to pull you into a hug. If you're uncomfortable, just say so." Omi nodded. Her face had grown a stark, beet red. Carefully, Sonic had begun to snake both of his arms around the owl's middle, feeling her smaller, petite body through the poncho. He was careful- almost too careful- as he hugged her midsection, pulling her into his form.

Omi had to take in a deep breath once she was leaning on Sonic, hugging him back as her arms wrapped around his neck. She wasn't a stranger to hugging, but this was something else entirely. She'd felt other people, other villagers, but Sonic was a different beast entirely.

His body was built for speed. His athletic torso reflected this, with all of the sinew-like, yet toned muscle lying just beneath his fuzzy fur. He was far more muscular than he appeared. Omi almost couldn't believe it. His arms and his legs were similar cases, as she took the proffered seat inside the hedgehog's lap.

Not only was he physically... _well adjusted, _his scent was something else to behold too. Her other, heightened senses could easily clue in on his natural scent. A pleasent aroma that smelled faintly of cinnamon and caramel. She could almost swear she smelled a hint of strawberry in there too, but it had to be her mind playing tricks on her.

In that singluar moment, Omi had taken to sitting on Sonic's lap, leaning into his broad chest, taking deep, steady breathes, her own arms refusing to budge. She could hear his heartbeat, even amidst the pattering rain from outside. His heart was abnormally slow. Every single pump from it was powerful and driven, but the time between beats worried her. She would have asked him about, but he seemed no worse for wear.

Slowly, Sonic had laid back on Omi's bed, taking her with him. She didn't protest. He was soft in all of the right places.

"Wait." The command was sudden, and for a moment, Sonic thought he had done something wrong. But Omi had barely risen from thier spot on the comfortable platform, before removing her white and red poncho. In one smooth movement, she had whipped the soft, warm cloth behind her, letting slowly float down as she lowered herself back onto her impromptu hedgehog bed, slipping both arms around his shoulders again, hooking a leg over his waist.

The poncho had covered the both of them easily, acting as a blanket. The hut, being dim as it was, gave Sonic a moment to relax and soak in the atmosphere.

He had a cute owl girl laying on him, warming his cold body.

He really hoped no one walked in on them.

"I want to stay like this."

Sonic smiled. No one could see it. He didn't care.

"We've got the whole day ahead of us." 


End file.
